Eldar Troop Choices

I've been wanting to play with a poll here for awhile but in case I can't get it working I want to make sure I put up a thread that people can still just answer via their post (I'm not the most skilled individual at using any website), and I went back and didn't see anything on this so I thought I'd ask it.

I'm curious what choice people tend to fill out that core requirement with.

Within my own group it's always interesting to see the contrast. Some people swear by the better then average stat line for cost of DAs (I'm one, I run a mixed force), some wouldn't enter the table without sniper fire, some Iyanden players think anything but Wraithguard is just tissue paper, and still others want their guardian meat shields or Jetbike tricks. The Eldar army more then any other can really trick out it's Troop choices to fit the army theme and I'm just curious what most people went with.

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Making Sisters of Battle into Women of Battle
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Give a Rep Star if you like what someone said. Especially Me. I'm an unabashed Star whore. Blame my 2nd grade teacher and those stupid good behavior stickers. I'm just conditioned. I'm the Pavlov's Dog of stars.
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You win with VP, NOT with kills
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Just to be fair, I voted. I go with Dire Avengers. My army normally brings along some Rangers and Dire Averngers to fill my two spots out and while I admire the pinning and death the Rangers can bring the versatility the Dire Avengers have done for me this edition I just greatly enjoy, especially since the rest of my army is more specialized vs. taking out MEQs and such it's nice to have a squad that can just flay a horde army with a turn or two of kiting (shooting while moving backwards). So they win out for two reasons...
1.) I like them so much more in this edition I'm still not over that feeling
2.) In very small, specialty games when I can only take 1, they're the choice I go with

Which isn't to say I think any of the options are bad, it's just what I like in my force, the only relativly cheap jack of all trades squad I have, something no other unit can do.

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Making Sisters of Battle into Women of Battle
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Give a Rep Star if you like what someone said. Especially Me. I'm an unabashed Star whore. Blame my 2nd grade teacher and those stupid good behavior stickers. I'm just conditioned. I'm the Pavlov's Dog of stars.
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You win with VP, NOT with kills
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Ah well to keep up with the trend I voted jetbikes. They are my favourite as they cross a battlefield in 2 turns (a bit slower than the rest of my army . Your question however asked what troops do I use to fill out my army.

I really love Dire Avengers, so I chose them. Still, I can't yet find their role. I always either bring the wrong exarch for the job, or they get shot up before affecting the battle as anything different than meatshields. It is frustrating. Well, practice will make me perfect... and maybe let them live a bit more
Second choice: 11 storm guardians with two flamers and a destructor Warlock. They do a lot of damage for their points.

LOL perhaps, and I'll admit this section is probably setting the record right now for polls on page one, but put this in perspective before anyone thinks that's a bad thing.

Every other poll focuses around things that may not matter. Not everyone may take dire avengers to have their exarch choice matter. Not everyone takes Banshees to effect that choice. They're great, and I like them sure, but not every Eldar player will even have an opinion.

This question however. EVERYONE takes these. Every single Eldar player, if they're playing a legal game, is using at least ONE of these choices, and 95% of the time, two is mandatory. Heck it's so required only at Kill-Team and below does it not matter (and at that level, these often make up the Brutes).

Plus looking at the choices can you find a single section of the Eldar codex with such diversity? One choice could be a Fast Attack, Three could be (one is in a smaller form) Elites... in fact one could be HeavySup, Two are the Eldars only cheap/bulk choice that are either wastes of points or godsends depending on army and player.

And it's from what so many view as the 'normal' section of the Eldar army.

Even if you're talking only two of them, kitted to the absolute minimum, you're looking at around 100-200 points reasonably. That means the average eldar army has at least 10% of it's points in these.

So I admit, I got a weak spot for the lowly troops. Mostly because I can't count the number of times they've been the difference between victory or defeat precisely because everyone sees them as 'lowly troops' and not as special as the other Eldar wooj. The information here will say alot about something every Eldar player shares, and every Eldar opponent faces.

Originally Posted by RAM_mit

I really love Dire Avengers, so I chose them. Still, I can't yet find their role. I always either bring the wrong exarch for the job, or they get shot up before affecting the battle as anything different than meatshields.

If it helps you any that sort of is their role. They're still cheaper and more expendable then most your troops so if they do get shot up (and with their armor, they aren't so close to being autokills to generic MEQ guns), at least it wasn't something better. They stradle the line between being short range shooters, akin to a weaker version of SoBs, and acceptable melee fighters, slightly below par with crappy Orks. They can even take out armor 10 vehicles. I usually give mine Defender and the exarch double shur cats... or I give them Bladestorm and the exarch shimmershield/p.weapon. In that way even their upgrades are spread out and generic.
That's because the best role I've found for them in my force is, well, None. They're never the best. They're always either working with something else, or being sacrificed for something else. Yes at any given time that makes them worse then had a chosen a unit dedicated to losing people (Guardians) or dedicated to being cooler (JetBikes/Wraithg/Rangers), BUT none of those can interchange between the roles.

However I run an all comers, one army plays all list... so I can use that. The're just good enough they can't be ignored, but just weak enough taking the time to blast them is time away from my Wraithlord or Aspect squads. Maybe that IS their use. They make your opponent, the actual player behind the opposing force, have to weigh more in his head. He knows what a Jetbike or Wraith or Ranger'll do. The Guardian squads are obvious. But Dire Avengers? The one unit in my army how I play them isn't dedicated by simply being what they are. I know people who have the luxory of tweaking lists to individual foes or run certain themes (like wild riders or wraith armies) who would find less use for them then a man with no hands has for gloves.

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Making Sisters of Battle into Women of Battle
-
Give a Rep Star if you like what someone said. Especially Me. I'm an unabashed Star whore. Blame my 2nd grade teacher and those stupid good behavior stickers. I'm just conditioned. I'm the Pavlov's Dog of stars.
-
You win with VP, NOT with kills
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dire avengers no question. even a small squad of 5 can hold their own against many foes. in my last fight they lasted agesnt ripper swarms and a carnifex and that bought me valuable time. also the exarch given a power weapon can realy help wen in close combat especialy when power with 'defend'. dire avengers are the core of my army as they can take so much punishment and deal out so much more. plus theyr kinda cheap so its more bang for your buck

I find that jetbikes work well with so many other units in the army list without having to resort to buying an expensive transport. They have access to a pretty decent heavy weapon, have twin-linked guns and most importantly can attempt to evade return fire in the assault phase.

They're also fantastically cheap .

Having an army and not owning a rulebook is like owning a car with no steering wheel.

I voted guardians because I love starcannons, they make life so much easier for me....but looking at the poll I'm debating trying out dire avengers. My trouble is that I always get anialated by ap 4 blasts and weapons, and I HATE that. That's why I have such trouble playing harlequins and banshees and stuff.

I have a alightly different take

In my local gaming club I am using a unit of 10 wraithbikes with a spiritseer, (ea wraithbike is worth 55 points and is armed with wraithcannon. The spiritseer is jetbike mounted and uses enhanced, also his bike is armed with a wraithcannon upgrade for 10 points. Model cost is is 76 points. Total detachment cost is 626 points. The combination of speed and wraithcannon along with the enhanced initiative is quite lethal.

I voted guardians because I love starcannons, they make life so much easier for me....but looking at the poll I'm debating trying out dire avengers.

Dire avengers all the way. every single time ive used them, theyve saved me. if your having trouble, definetly use dire avengers, because guardians are too expensive for BS3. Also, point for point, scatterlasers can kill stacks more space marines than starcannons, and your enemy is most likely gonna be hugging cover. i preffer 3 war walkers packing six scatter laser. compared to sentinals and other weapons theyre incredibly cheap. just have to wacth out for heavy weapons, which is what he dire avengers are used for. trust me they work graet together. so normally, i have 2-3 full units of avengers, and lots of war walkers. as for the other troop choices, i havnt tested wraithguard, though they seem really expensive, and snipers are to expensive for theyre cost. jetbikes are good when used in conjuntion with other troops. well, thats my opinion, but i did a fair bit of maths to figure that out.